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????-1800s: Puppetry and the Magic Lantern Were the First Types of Film
The origin of film is Puppetry, and there's even proof of puppetry dating back to the Egyptian times. Puppetry was performed in from of large audiences. The Magic Lantern was created by a scientist, Athanasius Kircher, who thought of the idea of projecting drawn pictures onto a wall. -
Eadweard Muybridge Creates the First Movie
In 1872, Eadweard Muybridge made a $25,000 bet with several other men about whether a horse's hooves come up at the same time while it runs. They then lined up several cameras and all of the cameras took a picture of the horse running by. Muybridge ended up winning that bet. When looking at the pictures they noticed, from looking at the film strip of the pictures, that it looked like the horse was running and that led to this being the first movie ever created. -
Thomas Edison Invents the Peephole Kinetoscope
In 1888, Thomas Edison invented the Peephole Kinetoscope. He eventually sold it to a Kinetoscope Parlor. A peephole kinetoscope was made to be looked through by one person at a time through a peephole. -
The First Public Kinetoscope Parlor was Opened
On April 14, 1894, the first public kinetoscope parlor was opened. A kinetoscope parlor is a place where you go to watch moving images by looking through the peephole of a kinetoscope. The kinetoscope used is the same one that Thomas Edison invented. -
The French Lumiere Brothers Invent the Cinematographe
In the Summer of 1894, two brothers, The Lumiere Brothers, created a projector that showed motion pictures. This invention was called a cinematographe. The cinematographe, unlike the kinetoscope, allowed an audience to watch at one time instead of just one person. -
Lumiere Brothers Make Short Films That Slowly Transform to Vaudeville Theaters
In 1895, the two Lumiere Brothers made a series of short films and showed them in theaters. The short films were really short and lasted 30-60 seconds long. This eventually transformed into the vaudeville theaters. -
The First Narrative Movie, The Great Train Robbery, is Created
In 1903, the first narrative movie (movie that told an entire story) was made. It was called, "The Great Train Robbery". This movie had 14 scenes and was 12 minutes long. -
Vaudeville Theaters Transform Into Nickelodeons
In 1905, the first 5 cent movie theater was created. These theaters were called Nickelodeon theaters and were really reasonable. By the 1910's Nickelodeon theaters attracted 26 million people each week and that number grew and grew. -
The Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC)
From 1908-1912 The Motion Picture Patents Company (MPPC) was created by Thomas Edison to gain control of all movie companies. Other companies tried to compete but MPPC didn't allow it and this was one of the factors that led to films being made in Hollywood. MPPC eventually ended in 1917. -
Hollywood Gets Bigger and Major Studios are Formed
Throughout the 1920's the movie industry and Hollywood expanded. In Hollywood, studios began to form leading to the studios that make movies we all know and love today. A few well known studios that are still around include: Warner Brother Pictures, Paramount, MGM, Universal, Disney, and a lot more. -
Sound is Used in Movies
Never before had sound been used in movies. Sound was first used in movies in the 1930s. The sound was bad quality, but the people liked it. -
The First Home Video Players are Made
In the 1970's the first home video entertainment systems were made. People were now able to watch the movies they love at home at no cost after they bought it. Home video players used include the VHS video players, laser disc players and movies on video cassette tapes.